Getting Around in Luanda and Angola
Getting around in Angola is mainly done by air. Also few rail services are available in some of the routes in Angola. In Luanda you can get around the city by buses, cars and taxis.
By Air
The easiest way for getting around Angola is by air. Air travel is quite easy and you can book your flights on the same day. The National Carrier of Angola is TAAG and the other airlines available are SAL Airlines, Air Gemini, Sonair and Diaxim Expresso. There are daily flights between Luanda and the other major cities of Angola like Cabinda, Dundo, Catumbela, Luena, Huambo, Lubango, Namibi, Menongue, Soyo and Malanje. The ‘Quatro de feveriro airport’ is the international airport present in Luanda. It has direct flights connecting the U.S and the Europe. Starting from June 2009, Delta Airlines is going to offer flights from Atlanta via Sal island to Luanda. Also there are non stop flights to Luanda via Frankfurt by Lufthansa airlines. Many private jets operated by the French, Italian and Portuguese business interests operate flights in the northern part of Angola. The city of Cabina can also be accessed through helicopter.
By Train
There are three separate rail routes with trains running from Luanda. One is the line to Malanji which has daily train services from Luanda. This line has short branches to Golunje Alto and Dondo. The second one is the line from Lobito to Dilolo and the third from Namibi to Menongue. These lines also have daily train services. The trains do not have air conditioned services and sleeping cars, but some routes have food and drinks available on them.
By Road
As in the rest of Angola, in Luanda the traffic drives on the right side of the road. There are cars including rentals, taxis and buses available in Luanda for transportation of its people and visitors. All the visitors in Angola must always carry identity papers while driving a car. Also they must have an International Driving Permit or a National license for driving upto 30 days. Bus service is available between Luanda and Benguela which is a 700 km trip taking 9 hours. Inside Luanda, visitors can use the Macon Taxi which is a private taxi company to get around the city. Each trip in this taxi costs around 20/30 USD. There is also the ‘Eco Tur’ company which does minibus hires and airport transfers having bilingual drivers. For getting around Luanda visitors can hire cars from ‘Beneluxcar’. They offer cars from the best companies in the world and have lowest car hire rates. They also give the best discount deals for visitors in Luanda. These cars can be booked online after comparing prices and immediate confirmations can also be received. These cars are the most comfortable and cheap modes for traveling in Luanda.
Most of the local people use the Blue Vans Private Service for getting around in Luanda. These vans are available in thousands in the city. Each of these vans are managed by two people, the ticket seller and the driver. Each ride in this van costs 50 kwanzas($0.62) and is the cheapest way for getting around the city. This service also reaches most of the areas of Luanda.
By Boats
A few regular passenger services by boat exist in Luanda. They include a few boats located on the rivers bordering Namibia or just offshore of Luanda.